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NO. 17 UWF Earns Sixth Straight Win
November 11, 2024
The way September ended placed UWF’s football team in a precarious position.
Ever since, however, the Argos have earned their way into a welcome opportunity.
With their defense as the main force, the No. 17-ranked Argos won their sixth consecutive game in a resounding 35-14 victory against North Greenville in the season’s final home game on Senior Day at PenAir Field.
It puts UWF (7-2) into a defining moment when facing unbeaten, No. 1 ranked Valdosta State (9-0) next Saturday in a game at Valdosta, Ga. that will determine a league champion and shape the NCAA Division II playoff picture for teams in the South region.
“As a coach, when you grow up around football like I have since I was born, this is what you coach for,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles, who played his final season in 2016 at UWF after transferring from Valdosta State. These are the games you coach for. We are going to put everything in front of us and try to play our best football. We know a victory against a really good Valdosta team would be sweet as sugar, so we are excited to have an opportunity.”
The Argos seized on opportunities Saturday for a fast start against North Greenville (4-5), which has often played UWF tough. The Argos have twice won games decided by just three points against the Trailblazers in the past four seasons.
On the game’s second play Saturday, UWF junior defensive lineman Collin Shaw knocked the ball free from North Greenville quarterback Dylan Ramirez. The Argos Donovan Barnes scooped up the fumble and raced 25 yards for a touchdown just 49 seconds into the game.
Just a minute later, on a 3rd-and-1 play, the Argos defense again forced a fumble, this time recovered by sophomore linebacker Kode Lowe at the North Greenville 35. An excessive celebration penalty pushed the ball back to midfield.
But no matter, the Argos went up 14-0 on a 10-play, 50 yard drive that T.J. Lane finished with 2-yard run for the first of his two rushing touchdowns.
“It’s really big (to get that kind of start), because it shifts the momentum of the game and once that happens, then anything can happen at any time. And we’re on top of the game.”
The momentum shifted midway through the second quarter when UWF quarterback Marcus Stokes was intercepted by North Greenville’s R.J. Glasgow, who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to halve the deficit.
It began a stretch of four touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the half.
The Argos opened a 21-7 lead following a 69-yard kickoff return by Jay Sharp to the Trailblazers 31. Four plays later, Stokes made a nice underneath pass to Da’Mani Brown for a 28-yard score.
On that ensuing kickoff, the Trailblazers Jerrick Foster returned the kick 99 yards for a score to again cut the deficit to seven points.
Another strong kickoff return, this one by Anthony Ballard put UWF in business again at the Trailblazers 29.
The game’s biggest play then ensued. On a third-and-16, Stokes found Corey Scott slashing across the end zone for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half.
It was easily Stokes’ biggest play on a day where he had some struggles with completions, going just 10 of 23 for 125 yards.
From that 28-14 halftime lead, the UWF defense was suffocating in the second half, barely allowing North Greenville a first down.
The Argos yielded just 74 yards of total offense on 47 plays and just six first downs against the Trailblazers in the entire game.
They limited North Greenville’s ultra-talented wide receiver, Dre Williams, one of the nation’s best D-2 receivers, to just three catches for 22 yards.
“Number one for them (Williams) is one of the best players in the country and so we were trying to keep him in check… and they’ve got a lot of really good players so we did a good job limiting them,” Nobles said.
“Our defense rose to the challenge again,” he said. “They are doing a great job of chasing the football. What I am excited about is that there’s a lot of depth… guys that didn’t get as much playing time earlier in the year and now they are getting a lot of playing time.”
Lane gained 71 yards as UWF’s top rusher and Sharp had 69 yards plus the kickoff return. Collin Shaw led UWF’s defense with six tackles.
After a 1-2 start that included an overtime home loss to West Alabama and a road loss at Grand Valley State in Michigan, the Argos have rallied back.
“Since we got off the plane from Michigan, I told them that every game is a playoff game,” Nobles said. “We have no choice. Our backs are against the wall. We knew this game coming up against Valdosta would be a big one all season, so in order to make this a big game, make it a playoff game, then every other game was a playoff game. We came back from Michigan. Revaluated a lot of things. I’m proud of the coaches for coming up with a lot of good ideas, changing practice, changing things. Our players have done a phenomenal job of buying in.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: UWF Argos vs. Valdosta State Blazers
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m. (Central Time)
WHERE: Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, Valdosta, Ga.
Photo: Emily Miller/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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